About the After
by alygator86
Summary: Written after Holidaze, during the hiatus.
1. Chapter 1

My friend (forever is never forever) and I co-wrote this fic during the hiatus, then I went to Australia and it wasn't posted. It's just a little look into Owen and Cristina after Holidaze.

Owen's POV

If he had known she felt that way about him, he would have reconsidered calling her out here to be Cristina's cardio god.

Ever since she told him she had feelings for him, he looked at her. He looked at her in order to figure out how he felt about her. He looked at her as a way of searching within himself.

He is in love with Cristina, that fact is undeniable. Yes, he was in a war with Teddy and that binds people together in a special way. He can admit that at one time he was in love with Teddy. He was engaged but her was in love with Teddy.

But Teddy never hinted in the least that she reciprocated his feelings. So he let them fizzle out and he was her friend, her buddy instead.

Then he met Cristina. He was drawn to her the first moment he saw her. She's tough but still sensitive when she wants to be. She's intense – they both are. She's everything he needs and she gets him.

He can't even begin to describe how lucky he feels that Cristina is still with him. He felt horrible when he choked her. Worse than horrible. She didn't feel safe with him. But he went to therapy, he talked to Dr. Wyatt. He became the better man he wanted to be. For himself. For her.

They are intense. He's never felt this way about anyone before. When he kissed her in the exam room – a complete stranger – he felt that intensity towards her. It only grew and it erupted when he kissed her outside of Joe's. One may have thought it would fade – that the intensity was just lust. It didn't. That's how they are. They are intense.

He has been in love with Cristina since…there wasn't an exact moment; the feeling was just there one day. And then he wouldn't allow himself to say the words. He didn't want to hurt her anymore. He couldn't live with himself if he hurt her any more. He used different words instead – "hey there now" and "take care now". But those words meant "I love you".

When he told her he wanted to still be here, be with her, in 40 years he meant it. He never thought about that with Beth or Teddy. If he tries to imagine his life in 40 years from now, he sees Cristina.

He had loved Teddy at one point, there is a small part of him that still loves her, but he is in love with Cristina.

He's not with her because he feels he owes her something. He wanted her. He wants her, he needs her, he loves her. She is his life now and he can't breathe without her.


	2. Chapter 2

Cristina's POV

Something so ridiculous brought them together. Cristina Yang, future world-renowned cardiothoracic surgeon, was impaled by an icicle. An icicle! Well, it was Owen stapling his own leg that sparked the interest at first. And then, he kissed her. He pulled her icicle out, patched her wound, and kissed her. He was a complete stranger, Cristina had protested. To which he replied so eloquently, "So?" And he was right. So what?

And then, the rugged Dr. Hunt had left, but not for long.

He came back. They kissed outside of Joe's. It was intense. And then they played Cat and Mouse for a while. It was a rocky start. He'd shown up drunk at her door for their first date. But then they settled down. Talking to him was easy. Cristina was frightened by how easy it was. To just reveal past scars like they were nothing, but it made her a better person. A better surgeon. Life was great until one night. One night Owen's demons came back to haunt him and caused him to hurt Cristina. But she would be strong, for the both of them. Cristina would be there every step of the way until she couldn't.

She no longer felt safe in his arms. She was afraid to sleep next to him and she hated it. Cristina hated herself for not being able to help him, support him. So she ended it.

But she didn't burn every bridge. Despite what had happened, Cristina made sure he was doing okay. He was. She still cared, a lot actually. During their time apart, Cristina realized how much she cared. How much she missed him laying next to her in bed. How much she loved him. Cristina had known for a while that she really liked him, but it was only than then she knew she was in love with him.

Days and several weeks went by. Owen was seeing Wyatt and he was doing better. Cristina was happy for him until he started saying things like "hey there now" and "take care now" They frustrated her. She confronted him about it and realized they all meant, "I love you". They were his way of saying it, because at the time he couldn't.

And then they talked about their future. In forty years from now Owen said he would be there. It made her smile. When she pictured her future, Cristina saw Owen in it. Something she never even considered with Burke.

Cristina had to tell him that she loved him, despite how it made her feel. They ended up in the vent room. Her heart raced while she told him, but she couldn't help smiling. She would meet him halfway. They were together again.

But another bump in the road came in the form of Dr. Teddy Altman. Or so she thought. Cristina couldn't understand why Owen kept staring at her. Maybe he wanted her, missed her, or needed her. Cristina didn't know. She was confused and hurt. So, she confronted him about Teddy.

Owen told Cristina that he wanted to be with _her_ and that he loved _her_. Not Teddy, but her. And then he kissed her just like they had in the exam room and outside of Joe's. Owen kissed her with all the fire, passion, and love he had for her. Cristina returned the kissed with the same amount.


End file.
